Pilot tells 4 skydivers to jump after plane develops mechanical trouble over Kauai
Courtesy Kauai County Kauai Fire Department’s Hanapepe Station
The pilot of a skydiving plane made an emergency landing Monday morning on Kauai, but not before telling the four parachutists aboard to jump out, the Kauai Fire Department said Tuesday.
Emergency responders received a mayday call from the plane’s owner, Skydive Kauai, at 9:50 a.m. Monday, the fire department said in a news release.
During a skydive tour, the pilot reported a mechanical issue while flying at 4,000 feet above Hanapepe.
He then told the male instructor with a female tandem jumper on one parachute and a female instructor with a male tandem jumper on a second parachute to exit the aircraft, KFD said.
Rescue specialists aboard Air 1 found the female jump instructor with her passenger in a remote, grassy area near Hanapepe Valley.
They were taken by Air 1 to the Skydive Kauai office in Hanapepe.
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The male instructor and his passenger landed safely at Eleele Elementary School and returned to office by private vehicle.
No one was injured and the plane’s occupants were assessed by medics and released.
